Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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Public servants to exceed 1 million
The number of public servants is expected to surpass 1 million this year as the government seeks to increase police and public security staff. The Ministry of Security and Public Administration announced a revised bill Saturday that raises the upper limit to the number of public servants hired by central administrative offices, by 200,000 to 293,982.The planned increase excludes those working at the National Assembly, the Board of Audit and Inspection, courts, the prosecution, schools and educat
March 24, 2013
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Former spy chief banned from overseas travel: sources
SEOUL -- South Korea's former government intelligence chief Won Sei-hoon has been barred from leaving the country pending investigation into allegations that he had interfered in domestic politics while in office, government sources said Saturday.Won, who served as the National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief under the previous government of President Lee Myung-bak, has been sued by several labor and civic groups for interfering in domestic politics by trying to manipulate public opinions ahead
March 24, 2013
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Police checking illegal drug use in sex bribery scandal
Police investigating the possible sex bribery scandal invloving high ranking officials now suspect illegal substances may have been used by those who frequented the villa where the events took place, sources said Saturday. The scandal has forced Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui to step down Thursday, with speculations abounding that other public figures may be implicated, including high ranking police officers. Kim, who claimed his innocence, may have visited the villa located in Wonju 132 k
March 23, 2013
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Mixed acid leaked from LG Siltron plant in Gumi
Mixed acid has leaked from the LG Siltron plant in Gumi, raising concerns that the agents may have polluted the nearby area, local government authorities said Saturday. The leak of hydrofluoric, nitric and acetic acids that took place late Friday marks the second time this month that the wafer company reported such an incident. The first incident took place on March 2. Investigators at the industrial city located 261 kilometers southeast of Seoul said that event occurred when a pipe used t
March 23, 2013
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Gas leaks at SK hynix's plant, no injuries reported
A small amount of chlorine gas leaked from a SK hynix Inc. semiconductor plant in central South Korea Friday but no one was injured, fire officials and the company said.The world's No. 2 memory chip maker, however, did not report the leak to authorities immediately, fire officials said.According to fire officials and SK hynix, 0.17 grams chlorine gas leaked from one of the SK hynix factories in Cheongju, about 137 kilometers south of Seoul, around 10:10 a.m.Fire officials said they became aware
March 22, 2013
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Fire breaks out at POSCO's steel mill
A furnace at POSCO's steel mill in southeastern South Korea caught fire after an apparent explosion on Friday and firefighters were trying to extinguish it, fire officials said.There were no immediate reports of injuries in the fire that broke out around 8:10 p.m. at the Finex furnace at the mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, about 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, they said.A local police officer said an explosion at the furnace appeared to have caused the fire.Fire officials said the
March 22, 2013
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Police consider expanding probe into sex scandal
Police said Friday they are considering widening their investigation into other high-ranking officials possibly implicated in a burgeoning sex-for-favors scandal that rocked the nation and forced a vice justice minister to resign.“We can investigate other figures if they are considered relevant to the crime. … We secured testimonies of two or three women who claim to be victims,” a police official was quoted as telling Yonhap News.On Thursday, Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui resigned amid his a
March 22, 2013
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Harvard’s first female president visits Ewha
Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust visited Ewha Womans University Friday to give a lecture under the theme “Educate Women; Change the World.”“A country’s competitiveness depends on how well it educates its women,” the Ivy League school leader emphasized. She pointed out that women were still underrepresented in fields such as business and politics, and encouraged students to expand their role in Korea as future female leaders. At the event, Faust was named Distinguished Honorary Ewha
March 22, 2013
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Rights activist admits sexual remarks
A renowned human rights activist was found to have sexually harassed a young woman, sending shockwaves through local social networks. Goh Eun-tae, professor of Chungbu University and a member of Amnesty International’s executive committee, allegedly sent the woman several inappropriate texts through mobile messenger “Kakao Talk,” according to the victim’s Twitter posts. The 27-year-old woman claimed that Goh had sent sexual messages including “Send me nude parts of your body” and “I want to kiss
March 22, 2013
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Singer pushes to build New Jersey memorial dedicated to former sex slaves
South Korea's famous rock-ballad singer Kim Jang-hoon said Friday he hopes to build a memorial in New Jersey for Asian women forced by Japanese soldiers into sexual slavery during World War II, in cooperation with activists in other Asian countries with such victims."While planning a performance tour of U.S. cities this year, the idea of building a memorial like the Holocaust memorial came to mind," Kim told Yonhap News Agency by phone.Kim said he wants to make the new facility in New Jersey, U.
March 22, 2013
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Court rules Park Chung-hee’s 1970s emergency decrees unconstitutional
The Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that former President Park Chung-hee’s draconian decrees in the 1970s were unconstitutional and infringed the basic rights of citizens. In a unanimous decision, the court said that Presidential Emergency Decrees No. 1, No. 2 and No. 9 issued in 1974 and 1975 were “not in accord with basics principles of democracy.”Park, the father of President Park Geun-hye, ruled the nation from 1961 to 1979 before he was assassinated. The court said the first and seco
March 21, 2013
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Cyber attack hits U.S.-based N.K. rights group
WASHINGTON (AFP) ― A U.S.-based group monitoring human rights in North Korea said Wednesday it was hit by a cyber attack that disabled its website for several hours.The incident at the Washington-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea occurred at the same time as a major attack targeting South Korean TV broadcasters and banks.Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the group, said he learned early Wednesday about the attack, which changed the welcome page to identify the site as “Hitman
March 21, 2013
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Professor faces charges of influence peddling
Prosecutors have sought an arrest warrant for political science professor Hahm Sung-deuk on charges of influence peddling. The Korea University professor, who is well known for his studies on the presidency, is suspected of taking nearly 78.6 million won ($70,389) from an advertisement agency chief executive, identified by his surname Yoon, in 2008 and 2009.He asked Hahm to lobby a senior Fair Trade Commission official to help him maintain an ad contract with a major Internet shopping mall witho
March 21, 2013
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Comedian faces charges for illegal gambling
Kim Yong-man, a popular comedian and television show host, is facing charges of illegal gambling, according to prosecution officials.The prosecution questioned Kim Tuesday over allegations that he bet more than 1 billion won on at least two illegal sports betting sites from 2008. Kim admitted to most of his charges, the prosecution said.The news came as the government is stepping up a campaign against illegal online gambling, including plans for a special crackdown next month.The 46-year-old Kim
March 21, 2013
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Court rules emergency decrees 1,2,9 unconstitutional
In a landmark ruling, the Constitutional Court on Thursday declared a series of emergency decrees based on the Yushin Constitution, which was declared by the military regime of the late President Park Chung-hee in 1970s in an attempt to remain in power, as unconstitutional.Park, who ruled the nation from 1961-1979 after seizing power in a military coup, introduced a new constitution, known as the Yushin (revitalizing reform) Constitution. The father of incumbent President Park Geun-hye then proc
March 21, 2013
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NHRC slams school for sexual discrimination
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has ruled that a school’s refusal to hire a female applicant because she could become pregnant was discrimination.A woman, surnamed Jang, applied for a teaching position at a high school in Gyeonggi Province. Jang was expecting to get hired, since she was the only applicant for the job. However, the school did not hire the 34-year-old as she “was a newlywed and might become pregnant in the near future.” Jang filed a petition to the NHRC regarding thi
March 21, 2013
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Malicious code in NongHyup system came from Chinese IP: gov't
Part of the malicious code that paralyzed network systems at South Korean banks and TV broadcasters came from a Chinese Internet Protocol (IP) address, Seoul's communications watchdog said Thursday.Local TV broadcasters KBS, MBC and YTN along with Shinhan, NongHyup and Jeju banks suffered a massive network failure on Wednesday that halted financial services and crippled operations.Following an analysis of source codes, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) announced that the incident was cau
March 21, 2013
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Parents sue their kids over support in old age
Filial piety is a big thing in South Korea, a country which has long valued Confucian ethics. Parents willingly spend the bulk of their time, energy and money raising and educating their kids; in return, they get looked after by their children after retirement. At least, that was how parent-child interdependence was normally accepted and practiced here. In recent years, however, the bond is noticeably wearing thin as more Korean parents are suing their children for failing to offer proper care a
March 20, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Celebrity speaker accused of plagiarism
Celebrity instructor, cable TV host and education entrepreneur Kim Mi-kyung has become the latest in a string of public figures accused of plagiarism.The 48-year-old who hosts a talk show under her name at tvN is alleged to have copied at least four papers by others for the master’s degree she earned from Ewha Womans University in 2007.The university said that it was investigating the allegations that several paragraphs and footnotes in her paper are the same as other master’s degree theses publ
March 20, 2013
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Korea struggles to save students from bullying
Going to school was like a nightmare for Lee Su-in. The 15-year-old was habitually bullied by her peers for no other reason than that they did not like her appearance. When she reported it to her teacher, things got worse. The teacher only told them off once in front of her. “That was it, and after that they abused me even more severely,” she recalled. “I had no choice and decided in the end to transfer to an alternative school.” School bullying is grabbing national attention after a 15-year-old
March 20, 2013